Lifestyle Photography at Home PART 3 THE KIDS TOYS AND THINGS | photos moms and dads can take

Document your life. Part 3

When Families look back at photographs and memories from years past, there is a much richer story to the little details than there is when you see a picture of everyone dressed pristinely with smiles directed at the camera. Those a lovely images. But what makes a memory come back is when you can see the details. I’m adding a little more examples into each post I’m doing in this series, to try to help families. Help a mom or a dad capture the ordinary, everyday moments.

The details make a memory come to life.

The chubby little fingers. Scrawny legs. Summer scratches on their summer knees. Remembering the smells and sounds of those days… that’s what we want. When you document your every day life, you’re going to capture those memories clearer! Keep snapping pictures of the little things.

PART ONE In the Last post, I shared with you some photos from the couch of the elusive toddler NAPTIME. 

PART TWO Then I shared with you a NATURE WALK WITH THE KIDS where we hiked out and found some raspberries.

PART THREE TODAY, I am going to share with you some photos and ideas of ways you can capture their actual things.

DOCUMENT THEIR ACTUAL THINGS

Taking pictures of their Toys, Baskets, Shoes, or whatever it is that will someday remind you of these days. You’ll want to find ways to remind

Look for things they hold or wear… The snakes the catch. The crocs they live in. The fruit snacks they ask for every day. The paw patrol. The Lego. The popsicles and around here: freezees! The goggles. The little things… That’s what you can focus on for this piece of documentation!

 

Remember, Capture it as it is.

Don’t get caught up trying to make it look different than it is. Sure, you can tidy up, or pick the angle and the composition to simplify it, but any picture taken will be better than none!

So, whatever you do to document the little years, just document it. It’s fast, fleeting and so full of beauty and learning! And remember, even something as simple as the couch, a walk outside or sneaking into to their bedroom when they don’t see you coming do a wonderful job canning those memories up for you to enjoy again and again!

 

Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes... How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes… How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes... How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes… How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes... How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes… How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes... How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes… How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes... How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes… How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes... How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes… How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes... How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes… How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes... How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes… How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes... How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes… How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes... How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes… How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes... How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes… How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes... How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes… How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes... How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes… How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes... How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes… How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes... How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes… How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes... How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes… How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com

 

 

Be sure to check out the other posts in the series DOCUMENTING LIFE, Pictures parents can take!

PART ONE In the first post, I shared with you some photos from the couch of the elusive toddler NAPTIME. 

PART TWO I shared with you a NATURE WALK WITH THE KIDS where we hiked out and found some raspberries.

PART THREE I shared with you some photos and ideas of ways you can capture their actual THINGS LIKE TOYS, CLOTHING and SNACKS.

PART FOUR I shared with you some ways to document the ordinary everyday things like chores and household things.

Lifestyle Photography at Home PART 2 NATURE WALK | photos moms and dads can take

On a nature walk in the woods, don't tell the what to look at, where to climb, or what to "do", Simply let their curiosity wonder and keep available your guiding help for safety and education.
On a nature walk in the woods, don’t tell them what to look at, where to climb, or what to “do”. Simply let their curiosity wonder and keep available your guiding help for safety and education.

Document your life.

I said this in the first post too: When Families look back at photographs and memories from years past, there is a much richer story to the little details than there is when you see a picture of everyone dressed pristinely with smiles directed at the camera. Those a lovely images. But what makes a memory come back is when you can see the details. I’m adding a little more examples into each post I’m doing in this series, to try to help families. Help a mom or a dad capture the ordinary, everyday moments.

The details make a memory come to life.

The chubby little fingers. Scrawny legs. Summer scratches on their summer knees. Remembering the smells and sounds of those days… that’s what we want. When you document your every day life, you’re going to capture those memories clearer! Keep snapping pictures of the little things.

THIS IS PART OF a FOUR PART SERIES exploring examples in storytelling. Be sure to click over and read the other three posts with photographs documenting life at home in the little years.

In the FIRST post, I shared with you some photos from the couch of the elusive toddler NAPTIME. 

TODAY, I’m sharing with you a NATURE WALK WITH THE KIDS.

 

I wanted to share a nature walk for a few reasons. Primarily, Getting kids outside is always a good idea. Next, taking a walk down the driveway or through the field is something we do every day. I want to remember the kids in their element, doing things that we do! Lastly, Watching children delight in the exploration and discovery that nature affords is just a really easy way to get some distance, boost their interest in what’s a hand, and get natural smiles, moans or other emotions. As a bonus, you feel better and learn something every time you go on a walk in nature. Enjoy!

 

A walk at home, looking at bugs, and spiders.

Swinging on scraggly tree limbs wet with dew.

Running with the dog.

Snatching up handfuls of too-short-stemmed “flowers” for you.

These are the little details you want to remember and will be capturing if you focus on letting your kids do their thing, not saying “Look!” “Hey, over here, Smile!”     

 

Nope.

 

Just walk behind them a ways, letting them explore.

Wait for moments when the squat down to inspect a creation.

Watch for the little squeals of delight when a butterfly flutters by.

Catch the moments of “in-between” but try let the  moment happen naturally, without creating the moment.

 

 

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Stop at a puddle, a creek, a lake, or even to look in a neighbor's garden.
Stop at a puddle, a creek, a lake, or even to look in a neighbor’s garden. Check out the Raspberries. Explore the woods. Look for snakes. Watch the spiders crawl down their webs. Admire the sky’s changing patterns. Run back home in the pouring rain. Seek shelter in the wilds and the unknowns. Let curiosity think up good questions. Wonder about the tracks you find. Study scat… These are all super easy, fun, and free ways to spend time with your kids!

****Additional Thought:  Oh, and did you see those pictures of me here, too? Getting in the frame with kids is quick and easy if you learn how to set your timer. (on my canon it’s just two clicks away to the 10-sec timer.) But this step also got easier when I taught my kids how to handle the big camera. They’re better at it than with a phone. No more fingers in the way and more likely to focus on the subject. Oh, and they usually take it more seriously when I give them the real camera, and don’t snap nine hundred images in bursts like they would on my iPhone. Insert eyeroll emoji.

 

ENJOY!

 

Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes... How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com
Take pictures of the details and their actual things. Toys, foods, clothes, shoes… How to take photos for mom and dad. Document life! www.amykatephoto.com

 

 

As I mentioned in the previous post, it is so helpful to have a goal in mind in taking pictures, but you don’t have to have it just right, you just have to have it! Capture it as it is.

Don’t get caught up trying to make it look different than it is. Sure, you can pick the angle and the composition to simplify it, but any picture will be better than none!

 

So, whatever you do to document the little years, just document it. It’s fast, fleeting and so full of beauty and learning! And remember, even something as simple as a walk outside does a wonderful job canning those memories up for you to enjoy again and again!

 

Again, this is part of a four-part blog post series focusing on parents documenting their life with kids in the little years. Each of these posts offer a quick tip to just take the picture, each post focusing on a different tip.

Be sure to check out the others in this Document Life series with examples of how to take pictures of your kids when they aren’t looking!

PART ONE In the first post, I shared with you some photos from the couch of the elusive toddler NAPTIME. 

PART TWO Here I shared with you a NATURE WALK WITH THE KIDS where we hiked out and found some raspberries.

PART THREE I shared with you some photos and ideas of ways you can capture their actual THINGS LIKE TOYS, CLOTHING and SNACKS.

PART FOUR I shared with you some ways to document the ordinary everyday things like chores and household things.

Senior Photographer | Bemidji MN | Concordia Language Villages Camp Photos

Senior Session Blush Pink: Blush Pink Dress Outdoor Session Senior Pictures, Amy Kate Photography MN High School Senior Photographer www.amykatephoto.com

This senior photo session at camp was fabulous! A Special thank you to Concordia Language Village Camp Lac-du-Bois for hosting this

Here is her first outfit: Long Hair Down, Light Blush Pink Dress, Nude Color Strappy Flat Sandals, Gold Necklace and Bracelet, Gold Leaf Earrings.

 

Outdoor Session Senior Pictures, Copyright Amy Kastenbauer of Amy Kate Photography, Cass Lake MN as a High School Senior Photographer
www.amykatephoto.com

Senior Session Blush Pink Senior Session Blush Pink Senior Session Blush Pink Nude Shoes Senior Session Blush Pink Senior Sesson, hair down Blush Dress Senior Pictures Senior Photographer Senior Photograph Senior Pictures SENIOR photos high school picture

Hooray! The first photos as Mr. and Mrs. are the BEST! | MN Wedding Photography

THIS! A photo can capture the best of all the feelings of your wedding day, and what all that (sometimes grueling) work of preparing for it is for. It takes months and months of countless hours toiling away with wedding plans, decisions, plan Bs… and then, Boom! You’re married. You have become one with your soulmate and boy, does it feel good! It’s all official, the logistics are taken care of, and now it’s time to really celebrate! These are the moments that you want to remember forever.

Mr. & Mrs.... It's official!
Mr. & Mrs…. It’s official!

 

 

This picture of the bride and groom seems to capture that hoo-rah camaraderie with friends and family that, “yes, we are in this for the long haul.”

Wedding Day for the Weigels | St. Philip’s Catholic Church and The Sanford Event Center in Bemidji, MN. Paul & Babe, Lake Bemidji Waterfront | Amy Kastenbauer MN Wedding Photographer

Congratulations to the ravishing Trevor & Liz! These two charmers held a lovely ceremony at St Philips Catholic Church in Bemidji, and then received their guests at the Sanford Event Center in a gorgeous Ballroom, as well as entertaining their guests in the lobby and out on the patio (which overlooks Lake Bemidji)! These two love doves are a perfect match, and I was glad to get to photograph their wedding day with them.

AKP Weigel Sanctuary- AKP Weigel Sanctuary--37 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--36 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--35 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--34 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--33 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--32 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--31 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--30 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--29 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--28 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--27 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--26 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--25 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--24 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--23 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--22 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--21 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--20 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--19 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--18 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--17 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--16 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--15 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--14 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--13 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--12 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--11 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--10 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--9 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--8 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--7 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--6 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--5 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--4 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--3 AKP Weigel Sanctuary--2 AKP Weigel 072016

Family Photos on the farm with a gorgeous red barn, water and fields | Park Rapids, MN Family and Children Photographer

Photographing this family for the fourth time! They are the sweetest! I am so blessed that they hired me a few years ago to do their family photos. It was mom, dad, and three kids. At the very end of that first session, they told me they were expecting baby # 4! WAHOO! How exciting! Well, Then I came back and did family portraits, newborn portraits, and was able to capture them in their lake home before they moved out of state, and we have spent time photographing them at Itasca State Park at the Mississippi River Headwaters. Now, they came all they way back to Minnesota this summer just to let me get their photos 🙂 Well, okay, they wanted to visit family, too… But, I’ll pretend it was just to see me and let me see how precious newborn Ember has grown into a full-blown, walking and prancing little toddler girl!

 

I love getting to know families and their stories through what the parents and the kids say during our session and this family is the rule! They’re a beautiful family, and I hope I get to keep capturing their growth and changes whenever they’re “back home!”

AKP Prutzman 2015 --2 AKP Prutzman 2015 --6 AKP Prutzman 2015 --43 AKP Prutzman 2015 --46 AKP Prutzman 2015 --54 AKP Prutzman 2015 --56 AKP Prutzman 2015 --65 AKP Prutzman 2015 --72 AKP Prutzman 2015 --80 AKP Prutzman 2015 --68 AKP Prutzman 2015 --75 AKP Prutzman 2015 --99And then, the mother’s sister and her kids were there, so I snapped some cute ones of them, as well!